The other day, I decided that I was lacking a bit in the social networking department, so I started investigating the various options that I had on the table to see what I could get involved in. I was covered on Facebook, Twitter, With, Path, Tumblr, Foursquare, Instagram and a few others, and then I realized that there were still a ton of other options out there if I wanted them. It was dizzying.
So the last thing I wanted was to sign up for another social network, but then out came Stamped with a lot of hype following it. Seemed like everyone was talking about it, so I decided to give it a try for a few days and see what all the buzz was all about. Is Stamped worth the hype? Let’s talk it out after the jump.
What Stamped Is
Before Facebook and Twitter came along, friends got together and talked about their likes and dislikes either in person or over the phone. It was a bit old school, but that’s how they did it back in the dinosaur days of the 1990s and prior, and there was nothing wrong with that. But in our increasingly connected world, we now spend most of our time online and seeing what other people think about various items, sometimes without ever meeting the person.
Still confused? Read this page to find out what Stamped is.
The concept behind Stamped is that we all have opinions about things, and so do our circle of friends. If we like something, we want to have a way to share it with our circle, that way everyone knows what the cool new spot is in town or where to get the best pizza in Fresno. Stamped is an app that gives each item our virtual stamp of approval, and then other people can join in and agree, disagree or whatever.
But here’s the twist: You don’t just have unlimited stamps to start off. No, you’ve just got 100 under your belt, so you have to spend them wisely or else you risk running out and not having anymore fun. But if any of your friends agree with your pick and add their stamp to the mix, you get two back. Got it?
What Stamped Isn’t
Stamped is not your average social network, because to me, those sites require you to get online daily to see how things are going. Think about it: You check out your friends on Facebook, read everyone’s tweets on Twitter and check in daily on Foursquare to make sure you’re keeping up with the competition. Sometimes you visit these sites multiple times a day — I know I do. Stamped doesn’t really have that feel.
There's not a lot of content yet, but it's still in the early stages.
With Stamped, you can go on once, stamp all of the things you like and then look at the app maybe once a week. There’s really no driving force to keep you going here, because there’s no news filtering in. Sure, it’s great to know that my buddy loves the same book that I do, but do I need a daily update? Not really, and I think that could be the downfall of the service.
So Why Should I Check It Out Then?
That is a legitimate question. With so many networks vying for our attention, I questioned that from the very start. But once I started playing around with it a bit, I realized that not only was it fun, but it does seem to buck the trend a bit. No, I might not check it out daily, but I enjoy checking it out when I do.
Things that people I follow like, and the specifics of what I like.
As an opinionated guy, I like being able to broadcast things that are positive in my life, because maybe they’ll help to affect some kind of change in someone else. For example, I’ve talked excessively on the AppStorm sites about my love for all things OmniFocus, but I’m also a fan of Chuck Palahniuk, specifically his novel, Diary. I can count on one hand how many times that’s come up in conversation, but I’d love to spread the word and get more people reading his work. Stamped is one of those options.
But it also can be funny, too. Follow the right people, and you’ll get find more obscure stamps out there, from the obscene to the hilarious and everything in between. I’ve seen “Your Mom” posted for example, and a few others in there as well that aren’t quite suitable for publication here. That’s just part of the fun found on Stamped.
The Logistics
But I’ve rambled on for over 700 words here and I haven’t yet gotten to how the app actually functions, so let’s get onto it.
Setting up an account is pretty easy, and it’s all done via the app itself. You can tie your Twitter and Facebook accounts to the app also, so if you want to broadcast your stamps to the world, you can do that as well. The app also pulls your Facebook and Twitter friends out so that you can follow people you already know, and you can add people manually if you choose too also. Once you’ve got the app settled in, it’s time to start stamping.
You get updates and news, all in one convenient place.
You get 100 stamps to start, so keep that in mind when you begin the process. By pressing the plus sign in the middle, you can start stamping. Enter in what you want using the keyboard, and then see if it pops up. Chances are pretty good right now that unless it’s something popular, you’re not going to find it in the app, but fortunately, you can add items if necessary.
The focus of the stamps seems to be in a few basic categories right now: restaurants, books, films, music and then the grab bag, which can be pretty much anything. After entering what you like, you can then select a category if it wasn’t already done, and then describe why you like the item. There are two grayed out icons for Twitter and Facebook, so if you want to share your post, just tap on them until they change colors and you’ll be good.
Getting Stamped
Again, you’ve only got 100 stamps, so there’s got to be some kind of reward system here, right?
There is. Let’s say that my buddy Chad is on Stamped, and he likes the movie Tommy Boy (honestly, who doesn’t, right?). If I agree with him, I can either hit the Like button to show Chad that I appreciate it, stamp it myself or add it as a To-Do for later. If I stamp his listing, he then gets awarded two more stamps, and he gets an email that looks something like this one:
Note: This website is on Stamped. You know, just in case you want to stamp us.
And that’s how you get more stamps. Some people are reporting that they have tons of stamps as a result, but I must not be that popular or something. Turns out I only have a few stamps from friends, and I’m at 90 stamps or so left. If the service catches on, then I can definitely see that number coming up, but I’ll have to get some more followers in the process I guess.
The real genius here though is in the To-Do section. There are plenty of neat things on Stamped that I’d love to remember to check out, and by adding a To-Do to the listing, I’ll be reminded of it again. Think about all of those options: Lunch at a great restaurant in San Francisco, a pub in Manchester that serves great beer, they’re all cool recommendations that I probably never would have found without the app. That’s nice.
Is It Worth Jumping on the Bandwagon?
I remember signing up for With, and although it was pretty neat for a bit, my interested faded pretty quickly. Path was a good concept, but I didn’t have enough friends and family who wanted to sign up to make it worth it. Stamped though, could be different. It’s still too soon to tell, but it could be the one to stand out from the crowd.
Admittedly, it is a bit buggy. It’s crashed on me a few times, and I’ve had to restart it from the multitasking bar a few times too, just because it couldn’t find the Wi-Fi signal. It’s a 1.0 app, so I expected that to be sure, but just be aware yourself that this isn’t a flawless app.
It is beautiful though, and the design alone makes me want to play with it more, which is always an added bonus. Plus, like many of these apps, the more people that sign up, the better the overall experience.
I don’t think it’s perfect, but I do think that Stamped is worth a try. Look me up when you get there —@kwhipps.